Wherever You Are
by CrimsonElevenDelightPetrichor
Summary: "Every night, without fail, as soon as he lied down and blew out all of the torches in his bedroom, memories of her come flooding back into his brain." Set in between Ember Island Players and Sozin's Comet Part One. Maiko. Songfic. Oneshot.


**A/N: Whoop! First A:TLA fic! Hm, I hope I don't suck too bad. It's a songfic to the song _'Wherever You Are' _from Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin (yeah, I like Winnie the Pooh, you got a problem with that?)**

Wherever You Are

Zuko thought of her every night.

He didn't think about Mai at all during the day, not ever. But, every night, without fail, as soon as he lied down and blew out all of the torches in his bedroom, memories of her come flooding back into his brain.

He remembered how she betrayed his sister, Azula, just so he would live. It was one of the bravest things he's ever seen anyone do. Anyone who could even think of betraying his sister, and practically insulting her to her face, was heroically brave.

Which is why he was convinced that she was dead.

But, there was that one bit of hope left in him, one single cell in his body that believed she was still alive. He clung to that piece of him, because thinking of never seeing Mai again was unbearable to him.

_Come out, moon._

_Come out, wishing star._

_Come out, come out._

_Wherever you are._

So, he walked out of his family's old house, went down to the beach, and stood ankle-deep in the cool seawater that lapped gently at his feet. He looked up at the starry black sky- the moon was almost full that night.

_I'm out here in the dark_

_all alone and wide awake._

_Come and find me._

Zuko felt so alone right then, standing by himself on the beach in the middle of the chilly night on Ember Island. Everyone else had probably been sound asleep by then. But not Zuko, no, he was wide awake.

_I'm empty and I'm cold_

_And my heart's about to break_

_Come and find me._

He always felt his saddest at night, when there was nothing to distract him from all of his mistakes. That time of day was when his heart would nearly break at all of the losses he suffered, all of the time that he failed the people he cared for the most.

He would come out here every night to make wishes on the brightest stars. He would wish for the things that he wanted the most. On the biggest, brightest star he could find in the night sky, he would wish for the thing that he wanted the most. He wished that somewhere, somehow, Mai was alive.

He'd make a wish on all of the other glowing stars, too, it was something that his mother had always told him to do when he truly wanted something. He knew then, of course, that this was just a superstition, and wishing for things didn't really make them happen. But, it was just something he'd always done.

On the other bright stars, he'd wish for other things. He would wish that Uncle could forgive him. He would also wish that he could find his mother, and that the hundred-year-war would end, before Fire Lord Ozai could do much more damage, before he would try to wipe out the Earth Kingdom, just like Fire Lord Sozin did to the Air Nomads.

_I need you to come here and find me_

_'Cause without you I'm totally lost_

Zuko would be close to tears as he stood in the cool nighttime air. There was a light, comfortable breeze on the beach. He yearned to have someone there with him, and he wished that person could be Mai.

He remembered when he was at the beach on the same island he was on then, around a small fire with Azula, Ty Lee and Mai. He was so angry and upset then, but Mai comforted him. She calmed him down instantly, and he forgot all of his anger the moment that she kissed him.

_I've hung a wish_

_on every star_

_It hasn't done much good so far._

Zuko decided that he was done standing in the cold, and he needed to go to bed. He would always forget why he came out here to wish every night, it's not like it helped end the war, it's not like it helped Aang defeat Ozai.

_I can only dream of you_

_Wherever you are._

Zuko lied down on his bed, and hoped that he would dream of Mai that night. Soon, he had fallen asleep.

_I'll hear you laugh,_

_I'll see you smile_

_I'll be with you..._

He did dream about Mai that night, it was about a day they had together before Zuko left to join Team Avatar. Unlike their sunset picnic, Azula never interrupted them that day, it was just them the whole time. They smiled, kissed, laughed and joked the entire day. Zuko loved the rare times when Mai would smile or laugh. This is why Zuko loved to dream about her, it was just like he could relive those perfect days together. Even if it was just for a short while.

… _just for a while._

He was always, just for a moment, upset when he woke up, and every morning he desired to go back to sleep, just so he could dream more.

_But when the morning comes, _

_and the sun begins to rise, _

_I'll lose you._

_Because it's just a dream_

_when I open up my eyes_

_I will lose you._

As Zuko woke from his slumber at the sunrise every morning, as every Firebender would, he would lose Mai. The moment that he would open up his eyes, she was gone. It felt almost as if he was losing her all over again.

_I used to believe in forever._

_But forever's... too good to be true._

_I've hung a wish on every star_

_It hasn't done much good so far._

A month before this, Zuko thought that they could be together forever, always side by side. He thought that his life was finally taking a turn for the better. But then, sitting upright in the bed in his old bedroom, he felt like he should have know that, with his life, something that perfect was far too good to be true.

Still, he would wish every night that it could happen, that he could actually live a nice, luxurious life with Mai, and every morning, nothing would be different from the night before.

_I don't know what else to do_

_Except to try and dream of you_

_And wonder if you're dreaming, too._

Zuko knew that there was nothing he could do to save her, if she was still alive. He had to keep training Aang to defeat his father, because if Ozai won the final battle between the two of them, he knew that none of his wishes would ever come true. So, he just continued wishing and dreaming about his happiest memories of him and Mai, and wondered if she was alive, and, if she was, if she was thinking of him, too.

Zuko was shook out of his deep thought by Aang's exited and upbeat voice calling him.

"Zuko? Hey, Zuko, it's time to have breakfast! It's the most important meal of the day- you can't miss it!" Zuko glanced at Aang, who's head was poking into his bedroom, and he had a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah, okay, I'll be out in a minute." Zuko said distantly, with a half smile.

"Okay!" Aang chirped, and went away.

Zuko thought of Mai for what would be the last time until nightfall, and then went off to join the rest of the gang for breakfast.

_Wherever you are._

**A/N: Wow, I wrote that whole thing in one sitting! I don't think I've ever done that before, I mean I barely ever finish my one-shots (because they're usually a product of three am boredom). Oh well, review, or Ozai will kill a saber-tooth moose lion cub. Please, think of the poor, helpless animals! This is my first songfic, so I hope it flowed alright... feel free to tell me if this was too OOC, if I have terrible grammar, if every other word was spelled wrong... So yeah! Bye then! PS- I like your beard.**


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